I have tried to play golf. I think I gave it a fair effort throughout Middle School and into High School. After hitting a scuba diver with my ball off the tee box (Yes, that really happened, and I still feel awful about it), I saw the writing on the wall and found a new hobby.

Some others, however, are more persistent.

The 2025 Masters Tournament came and went this past weekend, with the world’s top golfers vying for one of the most prestigious trophies in golf on arguably the most recognizable course in the game. With all due respect to the other three Majors, the Player’s Championship, and the Olympic Gold Medal for golf,  winning the Master’s is akin to winning the Super Bowl.

Augusta National Golf Club has maintained an aura of dignity and exclusivity since its opening in 1932. Its grounds are iconic, with every hole seemingly having a share of history living perpetually in our minds. From Gene Sarazin’s double eagle on 15 in the 1935 Masters to Tiger’s chip-in for Birdie on 16 at the 2005 Masters, I still get goosebumps watching these shots as both a sports fanatic and a history buff.

So when the sun set on Saturday night, I was pleasantly surprised to see Rory McIlroy atop the leaderboard. Born in Holywood, Northern Ireland, in 1989, Rory exploded onto the scene, winning four Majors in four years between 2011 and 2014; he won the U.S. Open in 2011, the PGA Championship twice in 2012 and 2014, and the Open Championship that same year in 2014. Since then, his career has waxed and waned. He is a two-time winner of the Player’s. However, he has had his tournaments come up agonizingly short as well. Rory is one of those athletes you want to see do well, and despite his success, there was always something missing from his trophy cabinet, something he has been chasing his entire career: a green jacket. That elusive chase ended Sunday.

It took John Elway fourteen years to win the Super Bowl.

It took Dale Earnhardt Sr. twenty years to win the Daytona 500.

It took John Madden twenty-eight years to make it to Canton, Ohio.

In classic, aggravating style, Rory’s final round saw some of the most memorable shots in Master’s history mixed with two double-bogeys and a missed par putt that extended the tournament into extra holes against 2016 Rio Gold Medalist Justin Rose. But, on his sixteenth try, he did it—he finally did!

And in doing so, he joins five other golfers in PGA history to win the career grand slam, quietly cementing his place as one of the greatest golfers to ever play the game. Congratulations, Rory! Thanks for giving us something to cheer for!

Photo by juan gomez on Unsplash